New Restaurants and Stores Coming to the Local Area

By: Malena Esposito

These days, the Triangle seems to be growing ever so rapidly. Look to your right on Rogers and there’s a Starbucks, look to your left on South Main Street and there’s a Wendy’s. But what else is coming?

Earlier this month, a California-based chain, Chronic Tacos, went in Shoppes at Heritage Village, at the intersection of Rogers Road and Forestville Road. They serve tacos, quesadillas, tostadas, burritos, and nachos. Customers recieve made-to-order meals by ordering through an assembly line of ingredients.

In downtown Raleigh’s Warehouse District, Sassool, a mediterranean cafe, will be opening at the Morgan Street Food Hall and Market. They will be offering their most popular menu items, such as falafels, pita, hummus, tabouli, and shawarmas. Sassool also provides several vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options.

And much to everyone’s delight, there seems to be more confirmation to the rumor that furniture superstore, Ikea, is coming to Cary. Cary Towne Center recently submitted a rezoning request to begin the renovations for 20 of the mall’s 60 acres. Mayor Harold Weinbrecht initially contributed to the rumor back in January when asked about a mall redevelopment plan, code named “Project Emerald.” “All I can say is that Project Emerald equals yellow and blue. We will see how this is presented to the council in the future.” Weinbrecht wrote in a blog post. Coincidentally, the Ikea logo is yellow and blue.

In addition, the Rochester based supermarket, Wegman’s, will also be coming to the Raleigh-Chapel Hill area. In a written statement, Wegman’s spokeswoman Jo Natale said that since “North Carolina is seeing continued growth…we have been able to identify multiple sites in the Raleigh/Durham area that met all of our criteria.” The first confirmed location includes a 120,000 square foot site on Wake Forest Road near Interstate 440 in Raleigh. Other stores will be located in Chapel Hill, Cary, and Durham.

On the corner of NC 98 and South Main Street, yet another grocery store will be coming to the area. Lidl, a German based grocer similar to Aldi, has about 10,000 locations all across Europe, making it a prime competitor to stores such as Food Lion, Publix, Harris Teeter, and Kroger.

No matter if what kind of foodie you are, all of these places are bringing their own specialties to the area, so make sure you check it out while driving around.